Thread
My uncle messed up his computer!!!
Hey all,
The topic is family - can't live with them, can't live without them! My uncle's electricity ruined his computer, and he blames me for it. I'm curious to hear your responses, here is how it all went down.
First, about my uncle. He lives in the Santa Cruz mountains where, on any given time, the electricity can fail. It happens more frequently during the winters, where the electricity can cut out several times a day.
The purchase: He purchased my Powermac DP800 about two months ago. The computer was a work machine (and babied to the fullest!). It was stocked with memory and always worked flawlessly - it was a machine for doing Photoshop and graphical work. I did put a brand new hard drive in for him before I sold it (as I would any computer), and gave him a considerable price break.
I customized the computer. It worked great for 2 months for his music composition, for my aunt's digital photography collection, and my cousin's music collection. They loved it like any normal person should love an Apple computer!
The scenario: his electricity cut out this past week while the Powermac was one. When the Powermac starts up, the light just glows. No hard drive sounds, no video display. To me, this sounds like a serious motherboard problem.
His problem: his old iMac was also plugged as well, and it still boots up just fine. His new Powermac does not. I think (just my assumption here), is that he believes the new computer should have lasted at least one winter, and perhaps may even think that I sold him something defective. He wants to know what I can do about it - I think he should take it into the shop and get it repaired for himself.
He did have the computer plugged into a basic powerstrip (actually, he had it plugged into a powerstrip, that was plugged into a powerstrip, that was plugged into a powerstrip - three of them altogether! That's a bit dumb, even though each strip is completely full). He does have an APC regulation box, but hasn't taken the time to set it up.
What do y'all think?! I am inclined to give him his money back, but don't want to pay for a machine that his electricity messed up. Or, I think that he should just pay to have it repaired. He still thinks that the machine should have weathered this past storm!
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! And if you read this whole thing, you should definitely get a medal of honor!
Thanks,
- M
The topic is family - can't live with them, can't live without them! My uncle's electricity ruined his computer, and he blames me for it. I'm curious to hear your responses, here is how it all went down.
First, about my uncle. He lives in the Santa Cruz mountains where, on any given time, the electricity can fail. It happens more frequently during the winters, where the electricity can cut out several times a day.
The purchase: He purchased my Powermac DP800 about two months ago. The computer was a work machine (and babied to the fullest!). It was stocked with memory and always worked flawlessly - it was a machine for doing Photoshop and graphical work. I did put a brand new hard drive in for him before I sold it (as I would any computer), and gave him a considerable price break.
I customized the computer. It worked great for 2 months for his music composition, for my aunt's digital photography collection, and my cousin's music collection. They loved it like any normal person should love an Apple computer!
The scenario: his electricity cut out this past week while the Powermac was one. When the Powermac starts up, the light just glows. No hard drive sounds, no video display. To me, this sounds like a serious motherboard problem.
His problem: his old iMac was also plugged as well, and it still boots up just fine. His new Powermac does not. I think (just my assumption here), is that he believes the new computer should have lasted at least one winter, and perhaps may even think that I sold him something defective. He wants to know what I can do about it - I think he should take it into the shop and get it repaired for himself.
He did have the computer plugged into a basic powerstrip (actually, he had it plugged into a powerstrip, that was plugged into a powerstrip, that was plugged into a powerstrip - three of them altogether! That's a bit dumb, even though each strip is completely full). He does have an APC regulation box, but hasn't taken the time to set it up.
What do y'all think?! I am inclined to give him his money back, but don't want to pay for a machine that his electricity messed up. Or, I think that he should just pay to have it repaired. He still thinks that the machine should have weathered this past storm!
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! And if you read this whole thing, you should definitely get a medal of honor!
Thanks,
- M
Sometimes your home owner's insurance will cover damage from an electrical surge. Take it to a place and have it diagnosed to see what the real problem is. If it was from a surge, see if his insurance will cover it.
Computers, no matter how good they are, are not designed to tolerate extreme changes in electricity, especially spikes.
An APC regulation box? Is that some kind of uninterruptable power supply? If so, make him set it up now, before another power-out!
In those conditions, I would not even think of running a computer without a UPS. Some just provide protection from spikes and surges, while some provide 5-20 minutes of battery power to shut down and save what you are doing. He needs one of these.
You don't owe him anything. Tell him to get it fixed, then plug in a UPS.
An APC regulation box? Is that some kind of uninterruptable power supply? If so, make him set it up now, before another power-out!
In those conditions, I would not even think of running a computer without a UPS. Some just provide protection from spikes and surges, while some provide 5-20 minutes of battery power to shut down and save what you are doing. He needs one of these.
You don't owe him anything. Tell him to get it fixed, then plug in a UPS.
When the power lights up but the machine doesn't start, 99% of the time it's a power supply problem (or the motherboard reset on you).
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=95038
If anything #6 and #7 might help. On the quicksilvers the CUDA reset button is right next to the ram slots.
You can also try unplugging the motherboard from the power supply (both the large one nad the square plug), and hitting cuda reset then, etc.
While this kind of power supply doesn't happen often on macs I've seen it happen before on PCs, hehe.
It could also be the battery's last bit of juice sucked out.
BTW multiple "power strips" is a nasty fire hazzard, and plugging a computer like that into an unprotected power source is pure insanity.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=95038
If anything #6 and #7 might help. On the quicksilvers the CUDA reset button is right next to the ram slots.
You can also try unplugging the motherboard from the power supply (both the large one nad the square plug), and hitting cuda reset then, etc.
While this kind of power supply doesn't happen often on macs I've seen it happen before on PCs, hehe.
It could also be the battery's last bit of juice sucked out.
BTW multiple "power strips" is a nasty fire hazzard, and plugging a computer like that into an unprotected power source is pure insanity.
you didnt mention so i guess ill bring it up.
did you push that little button on the motherboard thats right by the battery? give that thing one push, then close it back up and try adn start it up.
if that doesnt work, pull that battery out for like 30 seconds to a minute and put it back in and try and start it again.
a similar thing happened to me a few months ago and the steps above brought my powermac back to life. i then promptly went out and bought a proper belkin power strip with a good amount of surge protection.
did you push that little button on the motherboard thats right by the battery? give that thing one push, then close it back up and try adn start it up.
if that doesnt work, pull that battery out for like 30 seconds to a minute and put it back in and try and start it again.
a similar thing happened to me a few months ago and the steps above brought my powermac back to life. i then promptly went out and bought a proper belkin power strip with a good amount of surge protection.
-- Amateur Legal Alert --
Generally, the legal/ethical standpoint here is:
There is no lemon law between two private citizens in regard to sales of items (i.e. no implied warrantee and no responisbility on the part of the seller to be the repair depot).
However, that said, it would be considered teh nice thing to do to help your uncle out... but don't take it back - it is very much his problem.
--
I second the CUDA reset... saved many a mac for me. Failing all else, take it in to your local GOOD mac retailer. (not ChompUSA or MicroSponge)
Generally, the legal/ethical standpoint here is:
There is no lemon law between two private citizens in regard to sales of items (i.e. no implied warrantee and no responisbility on the part of the seller to be the repair depot).
However, that said, it would be considered teh nice thing to do to help your uncle out... but don't take it back - it is very much his problem.
--
I second the CUDA reset... saved many a mac for me. Failing all else, take it in to your local GOOD mac retailer. (not ChompUSA or MicroSponge)
At the absolute worst I still say if anything the machine might need a new power supply -- you can order these through a mac repair place or whatever.. if the machine is out of warranty my vow to be 'decent' would be having him pay for the part, after all what he did was MORE than stupid...
This would just make it a bit less, man though I can't believe he's blaming you for that.
This would just make it a bit less, man though I can't believe he's blaming you for that.
Nah... if you're feeling evil, send him to CompUSA...
But make him set up the %##%$%#$^% UPS before he fries it again
But make him set up the %##%$%#$^% UPS before he fries it again
Whoa, thanks for all of the tips - it was a pleasant surprise to see so many different ways to try fixing this problem. My uncle is going to bring his computer down here either tomorrow or on Monday, and we'll see if resetting the PMU/CUDA chip will help. That was a great link to the Apple Support Center, btw.
If that doesn't work, we'll attempt to install a new power supply. In an interesting twist of events, my replacement computer was the DP1GHz Powermac with the loud fan. Because of the new replacement kit, I also have an extra (and completely functional) extra power supply. Maybe this was destiny! heh heh, j/k.
If not, we'll take it to our local Apple Authorized Center, and look into the homeowner insurance... as well as installing that APS kit. His first-gen iMac was still working, but his DSL service went down at the same time. I helped him (over the phone) reset his router settings, but we couldn't get the iMac online... Maybe he has more component damage than he now realizes.
Otherwise, I will take your advice and send him to CompUSA. ... or maybe, should I send him to CompUSA first, just for kicks!
Thanks again, everyone. I'll keep you posted on what the problem is once I find out.
- M
If that doesn't work, we'll attempt to install a new power supply. In an interesting twist of events, my replacement computer was the DP1GHz Powermac with the loud fan. Because of the new replacement kit, I also have an extra (and completely functional) extra power supply. Maybe this was destiny! heh heh, j/k.
If not, we'll take it to our local Apple Authorized Center, and look into the homeowner insurance... as well as installing that APS kit. His first-gen iMac was still working, but his DSL service went down at the same time. I helped him (over the phone) reset his router settings, but we couldn't get the iMac online... Maybe he has more component damage than he now realizes.
Otherwise, I will take your advice and send him to CompUSA. ... or maybe, should I send him to CompUSA first, just for kicks!
Thanks again, everyone. I'll keep you posted on what the problem is once I find out.
- M
Quote:
|
Originally posted by slimshady023: If that doesn't work, we'll attempt to install a new power supply. In an interesting twist of events, my replacement computer was the DP1GHz Powermac with the loud fan. Because of the new replacement kit, I also have an extra (and completely functional) extra power supply. |
Those two power supplies are in no way interchangeable- they are physically and electrically different.
Chris
Don't screw with the power supplies... there are different requirements between the towers in question...
Send him to the land of the red-shirted fools.
Send him to the land of the red-shirted fools.
Thanks for the heads up on the power supplies... I was definitely going to check voltage and compatability, but you guys have again saved me time doing some extra research. I'm really impressed with all of your knowledge about Macintoshes, you're quite the gurus!
Best regards to all,
- M
Best regards to all,
- M
I'll tell you why the iMac is OK; it's because the powermac sacrificed itself and absorbed the energy, thus being fried first.
Nothing in this world happens simultaneously. Something is always a few microseconds ahead of something else. Since the powermac actually absorbed the spike, there was not enough energy to fry the iMac.
Does that mean that the powermac was less robust than the iMac? Heck no. The powermac might have had shorter AC wires leading to the wall (first power strip instead of the third?) and this is actually received more energy than the iMac.
Next time, sell him a good surge protector.
Nothing in this world happens simultaneously. Something is always a few microseconds ahead of something else. Since the powermac actually absorbed the spike, there was not enough energy to fry the iMac.
Does that mean that the powermac was less robust than the iMac? Heck no. The powermac might have had shorter AC wires leading to the wall (first power strip instead of the third?) and this is actually received more energy than the iMac.
Next time, sell him a good surge protector.
Quote:
| Next time, sell him a good surge protector. |
Did you skip over the part about the his uncle already having a UPS (or whatever he called it)? The uncle just didn't set it up... AFAIK the UPS device would handle a spike.
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their help. My uncle brought over his computer, and I followed the Apple technical documents on resetting the CUDA. Everything booted up beautifully! (As an added bonus, he even set up his APS box to protect his iMac! Heh heh, talk about some forward thinking here).
I guess he just needed a little prodding. I think this graphic would accurately describe me and my uncle!
Thanks again, and happy Macworld-ing!
- M
I guess he just needed a little prodding. I think this graphic would accurately describe me and my uncle!
Thanks again, and happy Macworld-ing!
- M